Messages

Wally(sorry the link is to fileplanet, it is reliable though. You will have to sign up a free account to download it)

I recently spent a lot of time making maps for Counter Strike and in the process came across this amazing little freeware program. Has a lot of simple effects tools that may be very useful to some. It is designed to create textures for Quake/Half-Life maps, but really is just a simple art program.

later,
-junc

One: Missing the help page about BBCode on the reply page. I tend to get stupid and forget silly tags...like was it [hide ] or [hint ]??

Two: This isn't a missing bit but, there are a lot of extra bits. I cannot imagine the kind of bandwidth this forum sucks up (long ago I think you said 4 gigs). With these extra bits I'm just wondering if that will rocket it up more...Perhaps disabling them might be a good idea. Then again, I don't know how concerned you are about bandwidth really...or how optimized the new forums are.

EDIT: How about replacing the post count with a "member since" thing?

later,
-junc

I thought so too.. Until I came across this.

http://www.ppc4all.com/appdetail.php?id=2628

I tried to "buy" the product and tried to check out the developer website. Both are dead. Looks like the LucasHitmen already got em'

later,
-junc

http://www.juncmodule.com/juncSource.html

later,
-junc

If I'm not mistaken it is legal.

I may be wrong about this but I believe that US Copyright law gives you only rights to a Copyright on the medium you register it under. What this means is, if LucasArts only filed for a copyright as a Computer Game then they don't own rights to it in other mediums, such as books.

Also, just because the book was published in 93 doesn't mean that the author didn't file for a copyright long before then, perhaps beating LucasArts to the punch (at least as far as books are concerned).

Just a theory.

later,
-junc

I can't seem to find this game...anywhere. I don't understand what happened to all of my backups of it. I had at least two disks...

Unless if someone has a copy rotting away on their hard drive it may be lost forever... :'(

sorry,
-junc

I'm about 90% positive that I will return to making all four chapters of Keptosh.

v2.0 however, is dead, and will remain dead.

The techniques for drawing characters, backgrounds, etc. took WAY to long. I have to dumb down the graphics a LOT more. I'm much more likely to go back to the Keptosh v1.0 style.

I do think there was a lack of intrest in the Keptosh remake. I may wait until I'm much further into the project next time around before releasing any info. At least be able to dump a demo on the community or something.

If anyone is interested in helping me restart this project drop me a email or IM.

I need 96 backgrounds and 53 characters, so there is plenty of work to go around. I also need puzzle help and coding help. I can code and draw a majority of the work, I just need someone to help with the repetitive work. Mapping out CCS for 53 characters is going to be absolutely massive. Any remake would involve a BASS style interface, no more SCUMM GUI.

Here is the "outline": http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/Keptosh%20Outline.htm

later,
-junc

[MUST]

I have decided to release my entire collection of AGS games, source code and all. They are released as a resource for the AGS community though. If you would like to use any portion of them for anything you MUST contact me first.

Here is the rundown:

Keptosh I: The search for junc

http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/Keptosh1FULL.zip
http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/Keptosh1FULL_source.zip
Right click save target as
Description: My first adventure game. I make extensive use of the CCS by Scorpiorus.

Keptosh v2.0 DEMO

http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/Keptosh2DEMO.zip
http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/Keptosh2DEMO_source.zip
Right click save target as
Description: The game that never was. This would have been an enormous game. Too bad I walked away from it way too soon. Perhaps someday I will come back to it.

Oogly Adventures

http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/OoglyDEMO.zip
http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/OoglyDEMO_source.zip
Right click save target as
Description: This started as a test to see if I could create completely original graphics for a game. I still kind of like it.

AGI Template

http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/AGI_Temp_source.zip
Right click save target as
Description: I released this some time ago. Didn't get much response. Here it is again.

Spy vs. Spy DEMO

http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/SPYvsSPY_DEMO.zip
http://www.juncmodule.com/downloads/SPYvsSPY_source.zip
Right click save target as
Description: I was working on this for a few days and never finished it. I used to love playing the Atari ST version of Spy vs. Spy.

A note: I cannot find the full source or even the compiled version of "Tom Hanks Away". I have no freaking idea where I put it. I know I have it, it's just a case of too many backups. :p

UPDATE!: I now have a few different stages of the source! I should be able to put together a downloadable version soon.

If anyone is interested in picking up one of these as a project and continuing with it, let me know. I may be interested in picking one up on a part time basis again as a project director or something.

later,
-junc

Cannot find server...

It appears that adventure developers is down...

Could you provide an alternative link please?

later,
-junc

Quote from: juncmodule on Today at 10:23:06am
The DG vs. Barcik argument on what is classic is just silly. You are both too young to decide what a classic is.  


Bullshit -- Barcik and I have the ability to see films as classic as much as anyone, despite our ages.

Quote from: juncmodule on Today at 10:23:06am
For me, personally, LOTR is a classic. For me to argue that it should be, or any movie regardless of age, should be a classic to someone else...is absurd.  


Wait -- first you say LOTR isn't a classic.

Then, you say that no one can judge what is a classic except for RickJ.

And now you're calling LOTR a classic, even thought it contradicts your two previous statements???

Now that's absurd!

you missed the point entirely.

I don't think it really matters how old you are to declare something a classic. I think it matter, more on how old the movie is.

That is what I was trying to say, but obviously it didn't come out the right way.

To call something made in your lifetime a classic is pretentious if you ask me. Perhaps we define classic differently. I consider a classic something that has stood the test of time. If you have only lived one or two decades then how could you say something has stood the test of time? (keeping in mind that I saying that you are trying to declare something that was made during that time is a classic)

I'm not saying you don't have the right to call something a classic. You are taking that WAY out of context. Or perhaps I have worded it incorrectly. Your lives have not been long enough to declare something that took place within them a "classic" to everyone else.

It can be a "classic" to you, same as LOTR is a "classic" to me. That doesn't mean that everyone else must consider it a classic.

Although I already said that...however I am repeating it again...

I agree that saying '50 years' is open to interpretation. Sure, something only 20 years old could be a "classic". I just think it is less likely the younger something is that lots of people will agree. I just see it as at the 50 year point it's kind of hard to argue that something hasn't stood the test of time.

arghhh...I hate posting in topics like this...I usually don't. I give up.

later,
-junc

I hated Heart of Darkness. Apocalypse Now was a terrible translation of it, at least if you do a side by side comparison. I feel that the story survives, but otherwise it is a different creature.

Also, I find calling Apocalypse Now a classic laughable. It just isn't. Not in the same way that Ben-Hur is. I see it as a classic in the same way that I see Full Metal Jacket as a classic. It is a "classic war film" and nothing more, not a "classic film". I just don't think it works.

Personally, I don't see LOTR in this light either. I don't think it is a classic in the Ben Hur sense. It is a classic "fantasy/sci-fi movie". To compare it to Star Wars is more relevant than Ben Hur.

Ben Hur also appeals on many more levels. It was made in the sixties, if I'm not mistaken. So it has had time to mature and become a classic. The DG vs. Barcik argument on what is classic is just silly. You are both too young to decide what a classic is. I am too young to make that decision. Rickj is probably the only person on these forums that could call something a classic and maybe know what he is talking about. My point isn't that one person has a "right" or can make "decisions" though. My point is these films are too young to call "classics". If a film endures for fifty years, and a vast majority of people say "You haven't seen ... !", then it is a classic. To compare LOTR to a 40 to 50 year old movie or call it a classic only three days after its release is a bit pretentious.

For me, personally, LOTR is a classic. For me to argue that it should be, or any movie regardless of age, should be a classic to someone else...is absurd.

later,
-junc

Communications-- 160.7 kilobits per second
Storage-- 19.6 kilobytes per second
1MB file download-- 52.2 seconds
Subjective rating-- Mediocre

from: http://www.bandwidthplace.com

I just went to DSL from cable. Although there is a huge change, I'm not concerned. I don't download anything over 100MB anyway. The only reason most people need a connection much faster than mine is to pirate movies/videos. I can still listen to music, watch trailers, and download AGS in a minute or two. That's fine with me.

The only reason I switched was cost. DSL is half the price of Cable here. For the most part I can do just as much with it.

It's not the size that matters. It's how you use it.

later,
-junc

I say this with a heavy heart, and it'll always have a special place in my heart, but Star Wars has been replaced as my favorite Trilogy.

As always Darth, you take the words right out of my mouth.

I am very lucky in that I have NOT read the books. Which, I know, is sad in the opinions of many of you. However, without even reading the books, I know that when I do they will easily become my favorite books. Ever.

I thought the trilogy on the whole was absolutely amazing. With this barrage of trilogies lately, it is nice to see that this one not only holds up but stands above any movie of it's sort.

Bruised:  You are not being very nice :'(. The Eowyn scene was amazing, having read the book or not.

I'm really disappointed to hear about all of the changes from the books. My girlfriend has read them and she has been loving the movies, however there are a few things that have bothered her. I hope that the extended DVD will have the Saruman and Wormtongue scenes in them(if they were filmed, were they?).

later,
-junc

What can I do to perform an action only if the previous one is over without blocking the game ?

from the man himself:

hope the next is what you need....

//Room Script

int NeedChecking = 0; //is set to 1 after calling StartActions();
int ActionNumber = 0; //stores the next action to proceed.
int PauseCounter = 0; //is used for 'pause' action.

function StartActions() {
 NeedChecking = 1; //enables checking;
 ActionNumber = 1; //sets the first action to proceed;
}


function room_a() {
 // script for room: Player enters screen (after fadein)

 StartActions(); //or you may place it on some other event.
}



function room_b() {
 // script for room: Repeatedly execute
 if (NeedChecking == 1) { //if StartActions() has been called...

  //if paused then decrease pause.
  if (PauseCounter>0) PauseCounter--;

  //if character is doing nothing then proceed the next action...
  if ((character[MANFOUR].walking  == 0)  &&
      (character[MANFOUR].animating == 0)  &&
      (PauseCounter                <= 0)) {
        if      (ActionNumber == 1) { //move character MANFOUR
     MoveCharacterDirect(MANFOUR, 276, 174);
     ActionNumber = 2; //goto action 2 after comleting this one.
    }
    else if (ActionNumber == 2) { //set pause (1000 loops)
     PauseCounter = 1000;
     ActionNumber = 3; //goto action 3 after comleting this one.
    }
    else if (ActionNumber == 3) { //proceed some animation
     SetCharacterView(MANFOUR, int view);
     AnimateCharacter(MANFOUR, int loop, int speed, 0);
     ActionNumber = 4; //goto action 4 after comleting this one.
    }
    else if (ActionNumber == 4) { //last action...
     NeedChecking = 0; //disables checking; use StartActions() to start again.
     //...or ActionNumber = 1; (good for looping actions)
    }
  }

 
 } //end of needchecking block

 
}

This way you may have as many actions as you need. (don't forget about looping[see action 4] as well as about making random selection: ActionNumber = 1 + Random(3) ).
Pay attention on 'if ((character[MANFOUR].walking  == 0) && (..........)' statement. It guarantees that the next action (among: MoveCharacter/AnimateCharacter/Pause[added]) will proceed only after completing of a current one.

- Scorpiorus

The problem is that I can still click on him, which runs the interaction script again. Does the CCS commands enable clicking when called ?

I do not think CCS interferes with interaction at all. I would take SSH's recommendation and set up a global int in your interaction script for that NPC.

Here is a sample script that would go under your character/interaction/talk to or whatever

if (GetGlobalInt(Interact_with) == 1) {
ccPauseExecution(MAN);
DisplaySpeech(MAN,"No! Let me alone!");
SetGlobalInt(Interact_with, 0);
ccResumeExecution(MAN);
}
if (GetGlobalInt(Interact_with) == 0) {
// Do Nothing
}

EDIT: One other thing, it appears that you are not using CCS "by-the-book". I'm not sure how much is required by CCS but all of your commands are supposed to go under the game_start() function, not in a interaction script. Perhaps CCS is not what you need for what you are doing. I'm just a little confused. If it is not what you need then the above script from Scorpiorus should work as a good replacement.

EDIT 2: SSH, as far as I know nearly every checkable option in the AGS editor is modifiable via scripting. Especially under general settings and the character editor. This is of course because: Chris is a genious.  

good luck,
-junc

junc, of course these things are not perfect and they will never be.

I think you failed to understand that my list of features was my only requirement for it being "perfect" to me.

It also appears that I am a fool. I followed the first link you provided. The Sony Ericsson P900 has everything I was talking about (except windows hotsync, but that is hardly a technology issue). Claims to have 16 hours of talk time and 20 days of standby time. That was the one major bump in the road I thought.

Based on the technology in that ad, give it about one or two more years, when the price comes down (how old is the P900?), I would say that SmartPhone's could become a very popular gaming platform to program for.

The key thing is that while you are right about cell phones being used by everybody, the ones with the cameras, long lasting batteries, nice displays, etc, are all still really expensive (I couldn't find an exact on the P900, but I did see some price around $800) I know most of the nice ones are at least $200. Most people get the free cell phone you get when you sign a contract.

However, the phones they are giving away for free are the ones you had to pay hundreds of dollars for only a few years ago. So, once these new ones go down in price, then you will have the market saturation that will make it an amazing platform.

As far as it being a solid gaming platform right now. I still kind of disagree. I personally know at least 50 people with a 500MHZ+ Windows running machine. I know about 3 people with cell phones that have color displays. A solid gaming platform is made not by the technology itself, but by the number of users. The Atari Jaguar was an amazing system when it came out. It's just that nobody bought it, it was expensive, and as a result, nobody developed for it and it died(Just an example, perhaps a bad one, but I'm sure you get the idea.)

I still hold to my argument that it's just not ready yet. You have proven me wrong on the technology department . I smell a SmartPhone in my future.

,
-junc

Are there lots of room-dependant colors X'd out? Are you using the import background option or import background (exact palette)?

I would recommend creating a palette with your 17 colors and trying to import that into AGS first.

Just draw a square and put each color into the square. Go into the Palette editor in AGS and "uncheck" all of the slots. Choose import slots from file.

When you are done, lock down all of the unused slots. export the palette. Open your image editor and resave your images with the newly created Palette.

You shouldn't have any problems if you follow that step-by-step. It helps to have a really good understanding of how your image editor handles palettes too.

Be warned, photoshop is HORRIBLE at handling palettes internally. If you are using it and still have difficulties post and let me know, I've become rather used to it. If you are using another program I'm afraid you will have to learn on your own.

Another thing that may be handy for you is "Palette Suite 2" Google for it, it is a free download and very small. It is a palette manager, very useful.

good luck,
-junc

Yea, I agree with pretty much everything you said.

Except I think that the cellphone, smartphone even, still has some evolving to do. I do believe it is on the verge of being perfect.

Perhaps you are right and it is already there. Is there a smartphone with Windows CE on it yet? I guess I may be talking out of my ass. Just how much compatibility is there between the PC and smartphones? Can you HotSync and synchronize them the same as PDA's? Basically a Windows CE smartphone, with PC connectivity, no less than a 320x200 res(backlit), and at least a 16 hour battery would achieve what I am talking about. If that is on the market in a small (as possible) form. I would strongly consider joining the cellphone toting masses.

later,
-junc

// Start of Global Script (MAKE SURE IT IS THE BEGINNING
int has_book=0;

//end of Global Script (MAKE SURE IT IS THE END)
export has_book;

//Header Script (you can put it anywhere in here)
import int has_book;

A few things.

No.
The script does not get buggy the bigger it gets.
Your brain does .

You really need to keep track of everything, comment your code to death.

When you have something that doesn't work the way you think it should, do a display message in the middle of it to ensure that it is executing. There are tricks to checking your code. You must be very clean and organised.

SSH pointed out something very important. The smallest misplaced letter will screw everything up.

I had a little trouble with defining global variables myself. I think there are a few things in the help file that need to be a little bit clearer and more accessable. I'm not sure if this is one of those things, but it may be.

good luck,
-junc

EDIT: I missed one...

The did it once and it worked fine, again and it didn't thing.

AGS seems to do some funny stuff. I would always test things twice. Especially when you are working with new variables. I think that it needs to compile the scripts and run through them in order to work. I am always left with the feeling that I need to tell it that I added a new variable before it will work. So, one compile and run to set the variable in, a second to test it. I know this isn't really the way it works, but it is a good safegaurd anyway.

I think the problem lays in the device itself.

I don't think a cellphone is a good enough device for games, at least not in it's current form.

Once the cellphone, PDA, and GameBoy Advance are merged into one functional device, then yes, I think it will be an excellent platform.

A cell phone is nothing but a communication device and shouldn't really be used for anything else IMHO.

Until there is a functional way to combine the PDA and cell phone it just doesn't work. Right now the PDA cell phones combos on the market just look silly. I honestly don't know the solution, but there must be one.

The only reason I mention the GBA again is battery life. The thing is rather amazing, 8 hours of constant gameplay with the audio cranked. Really excellent stuff, but, in the end, even this isn't good enough. You still need three times that battery power. Right now this is the primary problem. Without a battery that will last you throughout the day, using the device constantly, there will not be an all in one device.

I think you also answer your own question with the whole shoot-em up example. I totally agree. This is why I shy away from the cell phone. I do not own one and will not own one. No one need to talk to me that bad. If they do, I have voice mail, and more importantly, email.

The type of people that use cell phones are the same type that react to 3D shooters like drooling cavemen. I don't mean your every day cell phone user. I mean the guy that sits in the restaraunt and talks on his cell phone at the top of his voice. The guy that stands in line in at a store, talking on the cell phone rather than paying the cashier while you wait behind him. These people drive me insane. I understand that there are a lot of people that NEED them for work, family communication, etc. That's fine.

Unfortunately, I think that these cro-magnon users make up the market that determines which type of games will get produced. I have a feeling that the fast-lane loud talking inconsiderate jerk doesn't have the mental capacity for an adventure game.

Wee! Rant. Sorry.

later,
-junc

SetGameOption will solve your problems

Change it to not crossfade tracks just between the room change.

EDIT: To be more specific:

SetGameOption(OPT_CROSSFADEMUSIC, 0); // Crossfade off music should stop instantly

SetGameOption(OPT_CROSSFADEMUSIC,3); // Medium crossfade(or whatever your setting is)

After that, just use StopMusic();